U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,565, issued Jan. 7, 1997 and assigned to the assignee of this invention, describes a motor vehicle steering column including a stationary outer mast jacket, an inner mast jacket mounted on the outer mast jacket for linear translation, a tilt head pivotally mounted on the inner mast jacket, and a steering hand wheel rotatably supported on the tilt head. A first linear actuator translates the inner mast jacket in and out to adjust the longitudinal position of the steering hand wheel. A second linear actuator pivots the tilt head up and down to adjust the vertical position of the steering hand wheel. The linear actuators each include an electric motor driven screw shaft on respective ones of the outer and the inner mast jackets and a connecting rod having a tubular nut at one end around the screw shaft and a ball stud at the other end attached to a corresponding one of the inner mast jacket and the tilt head. Rotation of the screw shafts in the tubular nuts induces linear translation of the connecting rods to move the inner mast jacket in and out and to pivot the tilt head up and down. A linear actuator according to this invention is a novel alternative to the linear actuators described in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,565.